albie

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.50 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $900.00 from Audio Ark

Summary:
I have had this little gem of an integrated for 10 months now.I have listened to numerous offerings from other companies from 2channel receivers to 2-channel integrateds ranging from $500-$2000.There were a few better and many worse than the A-65 plus but none could match it in value.Under $1000 nothing is better than this unit.The micro dynamics thrill to no end.Good staging and depth of field.Solid well defined sound.For a 40w per channel amp she sure sings.Add a matching power amp for biamping and you have a killer system.
I tried really hard to find a nice two channel amp under $1000.I wanted something with around 100 watts per channel.I soon realized that I had a tough order to fill.Good sound,100w per ch under $1000?No way!!!Not possible.For $2200,okay,possible.
So to cut to the chase I found the A-65 Plus and was not disappointed .

Strengths:
Excellent microdynamics,great imaging,flawless build quality,nice clean simple look.

Weaknesses:
I am trying to think of some and nothing comes to mind.If there are any they are related to lack of power which can easily be remedied.

Similar Products Used:
Marantz,Nad,Akai,Musical Fidelity

matthewpiano

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
2.67 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $420.00

Summary:
I really wish that I could echo the positive reviews posted by other listeners but, I'm afraid my own experience of the Arcam has been of an amplifier which fails to satisfy in a range of music over an extended period of time.
I'll start with the positive things. The Arcam is quite attractive aesthetically and offers sensible facilities without adding anything unecessary to degrade the signal path. In operation, it creates good soundstages and images and the midrange is tonally excellent.
However, this amplifier desperately suffers from a lack of pace and attack, not helped at all by the rolled off bass and treble extremes. It makes everything sound flat and did not drive my Quad 11Ls to the best of their considerable capabilities. Orchestral recordings lacked impact and in pop/rock I often found myself wondering where the rhythm was in the music - bass guitarists almost fade into oblivion. In short, the A65+ is an amp that takes away the thrill of listening to music. Its far too safe sounding and after extended use, I lost the inclination to switch it on. Needless to say, its now gone and has been replaced by a Rotel RA-01 which completely surpasses it in every way.

Strengths:
Good soundstaging/stereo imaging; aesthetically pleasing; decent phono stage; sensible design.

Weaknesses:
Rolled off at the frequency extremes; overly safe sounding; misses out on the drama and attack of music in many genres - big orchestral works are smoothed out far too much. Ultimately a boring sounding amplifier and not good value for money.

Similar Products Used:
Sansui AU2200; Sansui AU3900; Rotel RA920AX; Nad 3150; Sansui AU-101; Pioneer SA508; Fisher CA-57; Rotel RA-01; TEAC Reference 300MkII; Cambridge Audio A4; Pioneer SX450; Sony STR-AV370X; Sansui AU-X111; Sansui AU-X210; Denon PMA250III

dusdau

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
4.13 of 5, 16.00 votes

Price Paid:  $599.00 from Primus Audio Pleasur

Summary:
Right out of the box, this amp sounds excellent. All comparisons in this article are to Denon PMA-560 integrated. Vocals, string instruments, and midrange frequencies represent the most noticeable difference. Bass is tight, but the difference is not as dramatic. The high frequencies do not get harsh at higher volumes, but simply become more detailed. The old cliche of "hearing things you haven't heard before" is absolutely true when upgrading to a high quality amp such as this one. Whether it's new instruments, or detailed nuances of instruments and vocals/background vocals you'll keep hearing details you haven't heard before. One example is the conversation at the beginning of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here". Before it was just some mumbling, which I thought was just the way it was supposed to be. With the Arcam, this conversation can be heard. I'm sure the soundstage is better with genuinely better amplifiers, but the clarity and "depth" this amp brings to recordings is amazing. Very simple and attractive face. Considering my source component(Denon DCD-815) is a "good" cd player, but not necessarily a "very good" or better one, I really wonder how good this amp could really sound. Since it's power is rated at 40 wpc @ 8 ohms, some may want to consider this if buying an amp for a larger room or mating with speakers with a very low efficiency rating.

Strengths:
Build quality, overall clarity, high frequency control, midrange reproduction, price. Software driven controls on amp are a nice touch.

Weaknesses:
I really see none at this price range. Maybe the remote. Mediocre design. Most of the supplied remote is for an Arcam CD player. Only the bottom part is for the amplifier. They could have made the buttons circular and larger to mirror the knobs on the amp, rather than small and rectangular.

Similar Products Used:
Denon PMA-560 amp(circa 1991) Also considered Onix A-60 MkII and JoLida 1701A integrated amps.

dsockel

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
4.44 of 5, 16.00 votes

Price Paid:  $450.00 from New York Dealer

Summary:
Solid performer for the price. Very nice detailed integrated for the right application. I use mine in a master bedroom which is fine, but don't think it would provide sufficient punch in a huge room.

Strengths:
Build quality, nice detail and tone. Excellent with Jazz, vocals and rock.

Weaknesses:
40W may or may not be enough depending on you room size, speakers, etc. I found full orchestral classical musical a challenge.